DIY History | Transcribe | World War I Diaries and Letters | Conger Reynolds newspaper clippings, 1916-1919 | 1916-07-30 Des Moines Capital Clipping: ""Battlefield of Marne Is Being Restored As Place to Live But Graves There Number Thousands"" by, Conger Reynolds Page 1

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Conger Reynolds newspaper clippings, 1916-1919

1916-07-30 Des Moines Capital Clipping: ""Battlefield of Marne Is Being Restored As Place to Live But Graves There Number Thousands"" by, Conger Reynolds Page 1

tically the same assortment for final
TROPICAL STORM NEARING BORDER; TROOPS ARE SAFE
GALVESTON, TEX., Aug. 18. -- Indications this morning were that the tropical disturbance which came into the Gulf of Mexico thru the Yucatan channel Wednesday night would go inland near the mouth of the Rio Grande or on the lower Texas coast. The 7 o'clock reports from the gulf coast weather bureau station showed Brownsville with the lowest barometer on the coast, 29.70, with the wind blowing twenty miles an hour from the north.
BROWNSVILLE, TEX., Aug. 18. -- Should the tropical hurricane strike the Texas coast near the mouth of the Rio Grande there would be no danger to the military forces encamped in this vicinity, it was pointed out by the local weather bureau today. Soldiers' camps are west (?) inland. The lower Texas coast [is] protected by a natural breakwater in the form of Padre and Mustang islands.
SUES WICKLIFFE FOR MOTORCYCLE
Payment for the death machine which Lloyd Wickliffe rode to his own death and caused that of 13 year-old Harold Mendenhall last Sunday, was asked for by William Ware, in a suit filed in municipal court today.
Ware alleges that Wicliffe still owed $30 on the motorcycle. J. M. Wickliffe, the father, and Lloyd Wickliffe are made the defendants.
WALTER IRISH IS HOME FROM WEST
Judge and Mrs. Walter Irish and J. S. Irish, brother of the judge, have returned from Colorado, where it was hoped that the first named would be benefited in health. While Judge Irish stood the trip well, reports today are not encouraging and considerable anxiety is felt among friends.
tends that it costs more to live in Des Moines than elsewhere.
When asked concerning methods of procedure in conducting the probe on food prices, ex-Mayor James R. Hanna, appointed chairman of the investigating committee, knew nothing about his appoint-
council by a delegation of citizens today. They claimed that there were six stores in the vicinity now and that plans were being made to open another store.
"I do not see how we can grant it," said Fairweather.
Battlefield of Marne Is Being Restored As Place to Live But Graves There Number Thousands
NOTE.-- Mr. Conger Reynolds, formerly a Des Moines newspaper man and later connected with the journalistic department of the State University at Iowa City, is at the present in France. Recently The Capital published two interesting articles written by Mr. Reynolds. Today he tells of a visit to the battlefield of Marne. Mr. Reynolds will write more articles describing France and Paris of today.
BY CONGER REYNOLDS.
PARIS, July 30. -- (Special by mail.) -- Ask anyone who has followed the European war closely to name the one decisive battle so far and he will select the battle of the Marne. There is no disagreement on the point that the five-day struggle which followed when Joffre called "Halt" on the retreat of early September, 1914, had more immediate and important results than any subsequent test of arms has had. It saved Paris and the allied armies and enabled the war to go on until the French and Eglish could gather strength to that the offensive recently begun.
Yesterday I visited a portion of the battlefield of the Marne. All day another correspondent and I drove thru the western part, where the most critical events of the battle took place, those constituting the contest between von Kluck and Manoury, each of whom was striving for five days to outflank the other.
SCENES OF BATTLEFIELD.
I had expected to find the signs of te battle still fresh. And in one way they were. There were still plenty of ruined churches and houses, and the graves of fallen soldiers were not yet grown with sod. But there was much more to impress one than the fact that time and the armies have gone on never to return. New tile roofs and patches of fresh masonry on many dwellings showed that they had been rehabilitated for use. The towns were inhabited again, and the fields were heavy with crops. Already two monuments to the "morts pour la patrie" occupied positions on the battlefield.
The territory is still in the zone controlled by the army, and to visit it we had to get special passes from the French government. Arriving at Meaus early in the morning we discovered what military regulations are. We had no sooner stepped off the train than the guard who inspected our passes required us to give up our cameras. No pictures could be taken.
COULDN'T TRAVEL BY AUTO
A little later we discovered that we could not hire an automobile for our trip but would have to take horses. The army is taking no chances on the swift movements it would be possible for the wrong sort of persons to make by motoring.
we drove out to Meaux on a magnificent macadam highway lines with picturesque Normandy poplars. Above the town the plain opened wide with unfenced fields of wheat and oats and beets on either side. It was perhaps two miles out that we saw the first grave -- a mound at the roadside marked by four rude posts and a string of barbed wire. It was almost buried under flowers, and some of them were fresh. At the foot floated a faded flag of France, and at the head was a white cross marked in black "FRANCAIS." One French soldier, name unknown, was buried there.
ONLY A BEGINNING.
That grave was only the beginning. From there on they were everywhere. One saw the faded flags that marked them waving in hundreds above the ripening wheat. He saw them white against the dark green of the beets. Not all the graves were decorated. The precious soil over many was under cultivation and only the flag showed where they were. Not every grave held but one soldier. Often the figure on the cross was three or five or eleven, and one at least was forty-three. Not all the crosses were white. Some of the mounds were marked by black stakes that indicated Germans. There had been no tending of these graves. Such of them as were not overgrown by
(Continued on Page Two.)

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tically the same assortment for final TROPICAL STORM NEARING BORDER; TROOPS ARE SAFE GALVESTON, TEX., Aug. 18. -- Indications this morning were that the tropical disturbance which came into the Gulf of Mexico thru the Yucatan channel Wednesday night would go inland near the mouth of the Rio Grande or on the lower Texas coast. The 7 o'clock reports from the gulf coast weather bureau station showed Brownsville with the lowest barometer on the coast, 29.70, with the wind blowing twenty miles an hour from the north. BROWNSVILLE, TEX., Aug. 18. -- Should the tropical hurricane strike the Texas coast near the mouth of the Rio Grande there would be no danger to the military forces encamped in this vicinity, it was pointed out by the local weather bureau today. Soldiers' camps are west (?) inland. The lower Texas coast [is] protected by a natural breakwater in the form of Padre and Mustang islands. SUES WICKLIFFE FOR MOTORCYCLE Payment for the death machine which Lloyd Wickliffe rode to his own death and caused that of 13 year-old Harold Mendenhall last Sunday, was asked for by William Ware, in a suit filed in municipal court today. Ware alleges that Wicliffe still owed $30 on the motorcycle. J. M. Wickliffe, the father, and Lloyd Wickliffe are made the defendants. WALTER IRISH IS HOME FROM WEST Judge and Mrs. Walter Irish and J. S. Irish, brother of the judge, have returned from Colorado, where it was hoped that the first named would be benefited in health. While Judge Irish stood the trip well, reports today are not encouraging and considerable anxiety is felt among friends. tends that it costs more to live in Des Moines than elsewhere. When asked concerning methods of procedure in conducting the probe on food prices, ex-Mayor James R. Hanna, appointed chairman of the investigating committee, knew nothing about his appoint- council by a delegation of citizens today. They claimed that there were six stores in the vicinity now and that plans were being made to open another store. "I do not see how we can grant it," said Fairweather. Battlefield of Marne Is Being Restored As Place to Live But Graves There Number Thousands NOTE.-- Mr. Conger Reynolds, formerly a Des Moines newspaper man and later connected with the journalistic department of the State University at Iowa City, is at the present in France. Recently The Capital published two interesting articles written by Mr. Reynolds. Today he tells of a visit to the battlefield of Marne. Mr. Reynolds will write more articles describing France and Paris of today. BY CONGER REYNOLDS. PARIS, July 30. -- (Special by mail.) -- Ask anyone who has followed the European war closely to name the one decisive battle so far and he will select the battle of the Marne. There is no disagreement on the point that the five-day struggle which followed when Joffre called "Halt" on the retreat of early September, 1914, had more immediate and important results than any subsequent test of arms has had. It saved Paris and the allied armies and enabled the war to go on until the French and Eglish could gather strength to that the offensive recently begun. Yesterday I visited a portion of the battlefield of the Marne. All day another correspondent and I drove thru the western part, where the most critical events of the battle took place, those constituting the contest between von Kluck and Manoury, each of whom was striving for five days to outflank the other. SCENES OF BATTLEFIELD. I had expected to find the signs of te battle still fresh. And in one way they were. There were still plenty of ruined churches and houses, and the graves of fallen soldiers were not yet grown with sod. But there was much more to impress one than the fact that time and the armies have gone on never to return. New tile roofs and patches of fresh masonry on many dwellings showed that they had been rehabilitated for use. The towns were inhabited again, and the fields were heavy with crops. Already two monuments to the "morts pour la patrie" occupied positions on the battlefield. The territory is still in the zone controlled by the army, and to visit it we had to get special passes from the French government. Arriving at Meaus early in the morning we discovered what military regulations are. We had no sooner stepped off the train than the guard who inspected our passes required us to give up our cameras. No pictures could be taken. COULDN'T TRAVEL BY AUTO A little later we discovered that we could not hire an automobile for our trip but would have to take horses. The army is taking no chances on the swift movements it would be possible for the wrong sort of persons to make by motoring. we drove out to Meaux on a magnificent macadam highway lines with picturesque Normandy poplars. Above the town the plain opened wide with unfenced fields of wheat and oats and beets on either side. It was perhaps two miles out that we saw the first grave -- a mound at the roadside marked by four rude posts and a string of barbed wire. It was almost buried under flowers, and some of them were fresh. At the foot floated a faded flag of France, and at the head was a white cross marked in black "FRANCAIS." One French soldier, name unknown, was buried there. ONLY A BEGINNING. That grave was only the beginning. From there on they were everywhere. One saw the faded flags that marked them waving in hundreds above the ripening wheat. He saw them white against the dark green of the beets. Not all the graves were decorated. The precious soil over many was under cultivation and only the flag showed where they were. Not every grave held but one soldier. Often the figure on the cross was three or five or eleven, and one at least was forty-three. Not all the crosses were white. Some of the mounds were marked by black stakes that indicated Germans. There had been no tending of these graves. Such of them as were not overgrown by (Continued on Page Two.)